1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording objects on recording media, such as microfilms or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flow cameras are known as typical recording apparatuses of this kind. A description will now be provided of a flow camera.
A flow camera is an automatic photographing apparatus, in which documents (objects) to be preserved in the form of microfilms, such as bills, checks, stock certificates, general documents and the like, are sequentially fed into the apparatus, the images of the objects are sequentially photographed on a long film, and the photographed objects are discharged outside the apparatus. Such an apparatus can record a large number of object images on long films, serving as recording media, set within the apparatus at a high speed.
Accordingly, such apparatuses are used for providing microfilms for preserving and arranging various kinds of objects in, for example, financial agencies, such as banks and the like, and general offices.
For particular utilization objectives, such as presering of important documents, the necessity of frequent retrieval operations, and the like, two-shot flow cameras are known. In these two-shot flow cameras, in consideration of safety in the storage of films, and the like, two cameras, serving as recording means, are set at a photographing operation, and the same object images can be photographed by the two cameras on two respective films, serving as recording media.
However, in the above-described conventional two-shot photographing apparatus, it is not always necessary to photograph each object image on two films, depending on the user's intention, the kind of objects to be photographed, or the utilization objective of the microfilms, serving as recording media. For example, when preservation for a very long time period is not required, it is only necessary to photograph object images on a single roll of original film from the viewpoint of economizing films.
Recently, there has been a demand for a flow camera that can process a larger number of objects more continuously at a higher speed and in a shorter time period.
In order to respond to this demand, an apparatus has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,627, in which images are continuously photographed on films, serving as recording media, by alternately using a plurality of cameras. In this apparatus, however, correlated images are, in some cases, photographed on two different films, and the relationship between the final image on one film and the leading image on another film is uncertain, thereby causing inconvenience when utilizing the films after photographing the images.
That is, images, which belong to one group, are, in some cases, photographed on different recording media, thereby causing confusion when retrieval is performed later on, causing inconvenience when confirming an image next to the final image of a film or an image preceding the leading image of a film, or causing the inconvenience that correlation and continuity between two films cannot be confirmed.